Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice

The National Wildlife Federation aspires to be an inclusive multicultural organization that celebrates the rich dimensions of diversity, such as race, gender, ethnicity, sexual identity, socioeconomic status, age, ability, religion, and political philosophy.

Clean air, clean water, and abundant wildlife sustain Americans from all walks of life. We share a responsibility to protect these public assets for our children’s future. Just as a diversity of animals and plants are essential to a healthy ecosystem, the National Wildlife Federation derives its strength and relevance from bringing together diverse people to create healthy communities for all.

Our journey toward being a more just, diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization began with an internal focus on the improvements we could make to better support our staff and organizational culture. With the formation of our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) Steering Committee, we developed a statement that will guide us in this process of organizational growth.

Our Statement

The National Wildlife Federation strives to increase diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in all elements of our work and with our partners to support the interdependent needs of wildlife and people in a rapidly changing world. To live up to our values of collaboration, empowerment, inclusivity, mindfulness, and a focus on our mission, we believe:

We are better collaborators and will only achieve our mission if our staff and partners reflect the full diversity of our country, including but not limited to: race, gender, ethnicity, sexual identity, socio-economic status, age, ability, religion, and political philosophy.

We can carry out our work with greater mindfulness and inclusivity if we recognize the social, economic, and political contexts that shaped the early environmental and conservation movements, and resulted in cultural biases that permeate our institutions today. Only by understanding and addressing these biases will we justly and equitably engage with one another while pursuing our conservation goals.

We work more effectively by empowering staff, affiliates, members, and partners to support and ensure that this commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice is incorporated into our vision, organizational structure, budget, and work.

We recognize the urgency of this work and are committed to the ongoing changes that are necessary to fully incorporate diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice into our structure and values to fulfill our mission.

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Where We Work

More than one-third of U.S. fish and wildlife species are at risk of extinction in the coming decades. We're on the ground in seven regions across the country, collaborating with 52 state and territory affiliates to reverse the crisis and ensure wildlife thrive.